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- Last Updated on November 3, 2024
Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. With its manicured gardens, baroque architecture, and musical heritage, it is one of the most popular places to visit. You could easily spend a week enjoying Salzburg, but sometimes you just don’t have the time. This 1-day Salzburg itinerary takes you to the most important sights in a single day. It is ideal for those that only have one night in the city, or those are doing Salzburg as a day trip from Munich. Do the activities in the order listed to optimize your time. If you have an extra day in town, see our 2-day Salzburg itinerary instead.
Salzburg Itinerary For 1 Day
STAR RATING KEY:
★★★ Top priority
★★ Highly recommended
★ Worthwhile
No Star – Skippable if not interested
Salzburg Itinerary For 1 Day
Salzburg City Walk
The most important activity in this 1-day Salzburg itinerary is walking around and getting the general vibe. Salzburg is easy to explore on your own. In fact, the city has created various self-guided walks you can follow based on your interests.
If you prefer a guided walk, consider the 1-hour official walking tour of Salzburg at 12:15pm starting in Mozartplatz. No reservation required. Bring €10 cash per person.
Hohensalzburg Fortress
This impressive castle fortress is over 1000 years old and was built to serve as a deterrent to would-be invaders. It has good historical exhibits and great views. This is a must-do in this 1-day Salzburg itinerary. Get there by taking the 1-minute funicular, walking 20 minutes up the hill, or walking 30 minutes from the Monchsberg elevator (described under Monchsberg Hike). Once you get there, wander around the buildings, entering any exhibit that sounds remotely interesting – the exhibits are easy to rush through if one turns out the one you chose is underwhelming. Buy the all-inclusive ticket so you can see everything.
Cost and Hours: €12.60 per adult (add €4 if using the funicular). Open daily 8:30am-8:00pm May-Sept, 9:30am-5:00pm Oct-Apr.
Address: Mönchsberg 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Website: www.salzburg-burgen.at/en
Salzburg Cathedral
The Salzburg Cathedral is a baroque masterpiece, which is a rare sight outside of Italy. It is one of the most important things to see in Salzburg.
Cost and Hours: Free, donation suggested. Open Mon-Sat 8:00am-5:00pm, Sun 1:00pm-5:00pm, sometimes longer hours depending on month, check website for details.
Address: Domplatz 1a, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Website: www.salzburg.info/en
Walk Down Getreidegasse
This street is the original shopping street of Salzburg and has been used for hundreds of years. Walk the entirety of its length to enjoy its narrow buildings and wrought-iron signs advertising the type of shops below.
For map details, click on the icon in the top left corner.
See A Mozart Concert
Mozart is obviously the most significant resident to have come out of Salzburg, and they are still celebrating him today. There are several Mozart concerts daily in the city, in all kinds of settings. You can see various options on the Salzburg events website.
Any of the concerts around the city will do the trick, but we recommend a concert in the baroque marble hall of Mirabell Palace, where Mozart himself once played for the archbishops of Salzburg. These take place most days at 8:00 PM (get there a few minutes early to find your way). Try to book a few days in advance, especially if you want the cheaper seats.
Note: you won’t have time for this if you are doing Salzburg as a day trip from Munich.
Cost: €42 per adult. Advanced reservations required.
Address: Mirabellplatz 4, 5020 Salzburg
Website: www.salzburg-palace-concerts.com
If You Have Time
Mozart’s Birthplace
This is the place where the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and raised. Most importantly, he learned to play piano and violin here, and practiced here before performing for kings and queens in palaces. If you are a big Mozart fan, it’s worth including in your 1-day Salzburg itinerary if you can.
Cost and Hours: €12 per adult. Open daily 9:00am-5:30pm (open until 7:00pm July and August).
Address: Getreidegasse 9, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Website: www.mozarteum.at/en
Mozart’s Residence
This is the house that Mozart and his parents moved to when he was 17 years old, after they had enough money to move out of the birthplace apartment on Getreidegasse.
Cost and Hours: €12 per adult. Open daily Sept-June 9:00am-5:30pm, July-Aug 8:30am-7:00pm.
Address: Makartplatz 8, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Website: www.mozarteum.at/en
Monchsberg Hike
The Monchsberg is the big hill with the castle on top of it. There are shady walking paths on top that afford beautiful views of the city. When on a busy sightseeing trip, we like to at least get in this short, 30 minute “hike.” You don’t need any special shoes – this is more of a walk than a true hike.
We recommend taking the Monchsberg elevator up to the terrace (find the lift at the entrance to the museum of Modern Art Salzburg Monchsberg). Once you’ve soaked in the terrace views, make your way to the footpath and follow signs towards Festung Hohensalzburg to get to the fortress. You won’t get lost if you just keep following the signs until you arrive at the castle.
Monchsberg Lift (Monchsberg Aufzug)
Cost and Hours: €2.80 per adult. Open Sept-June Mon 8:00am-7:00pm, Tu-Sun 8:00am-9:00pm, July-August daily 8:00am-11:00pm.
Address: Gstättengasse 13, 5020 Salzburg
Promenade Concert
There is a free promenade classical music concert in Mirabell Gardens every Sunday and public holiday between May 1st and August 31st at 10:30am. If you want to get a good spot, get there at least 30 minutes early to snag one of the few benches on the tree-lined promenade, next to where they are setting up the chairs.
Information: www.salzburg.info/en
Sound Of Music Tour
The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the Von Trapps, who really did live in Salzburg. There are plenty of sights around town from the movie, as well as places that were special to the real Von Trapps. We recommend checking out the Sounds of Music list of shooting locations and visiting them yourself.
There are also two options for Sound of Music guided tours, but these can be pretty cheesy.
Practical Info
Getting Around Salzburg
All the tourist sights in this 1-day Salzburg itinerary are within easy walking distance. You do not need a car in Salzburg.
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